Children's Museum of Stockton

Ok, so the basics first! Easy to find, plenty of free parking, $10 per person to get in, no reservation required, no time limit once you’re in! Restrooms, a breastfeeding pod, a full room where you can sit down and have a snack (that you bring yourself). A sink for washing your hands and TONS of hand sanitizer stations throughout the building. Went on a random weekday afternoon and almost felt like we had the place to ourselves! Now the good stuff! This was my family’s first trip here and I can say with confidence, it will not be our last! This place is phenomenal! So many amazing activities for kids young and old! Everything in the place is fully interactive. Everything from the actual full size firetruck, police car/motorcycle, ambulance, helicopter and bus! All things you can play, climb and turn knobs, and dials and turn on lights and sounds! Build your own LEGO racer and send it flying down the massive track. Make shadows that come to life in the dark! Build a house or a rocket ship. Make a news anchor movie. Spend hours in the fully functional grocery store, pushing your cart around, collecting your Jello, cereal, fruit snacks and vegetables. Then when you’re done, actually ring them all up from a cashier and pay using the touchpad. Indoor slide and play area for kids. Outdoor play area for kids. Water table, tractor and puzzles. I can go on and on and not even mention all of the massive interactive magnetic walls where you can send balls down and turn gears. It is fun, cheap, and every parent I saw were all doing the same thing as my wife and I, engaging with our kids having the time of our lives! Highly recommended! FYI, we read there was a gift shop, I asked and was told no, there never was one.

This was such an awesome place. Very reasonable entry fee. So much to do and so entertaining. My daughter had a blast and asked to come back again another time. They had a cute scavenger hunt with a prize at the end. Cute gift shop with super affordable items. Nice playground with a picnic area in the back. Highly recommend for kids 10 and below.

Hours of fun education! Although some of it could use a refresher or update, it's totally worth it. The staff was kind and friendly, and we had plenty to do. I kept thinking we'd seen everything, and then we'd round a corner to discover more! Some areas were perfect for under 4 years, while others were better for 5+ years. I would say the prime focus is on kids ages 2-10, but any students will benefit from their time here. I had a blast too!

Now I know when you're thinking of Stockton, I understand. My thoughts are the same about how badly this town has ruined itself. But, this place is close by to the police station, has it's own gated parking lot. Best of all, the different types of career examples for a child's future are all wrapped up in one building for playful fun! I just took my grandson to a different play center yesterday, it was double the cost, and really nothing compared to this place. A must place to experience for kids, and grandparent kids like me! They have a real ambulance, firetruck, police car, news station, and food max. Much more included.

my grand children love it. they have fun with the food 4less shopping section, the ambulance, fire truck, and oh! i love the area where they allow kids to do arts and craft.

I remember visiting this museum when I was in elementary. Now years later I brought my son to experience it and he had a great time. The Food 4 Less section was the main thing I remembered when I visited many years ago. We went early morning so there wasn’t a lot of people but I didn’t mind. I will say it was a little cold inside but besides that it was great to reminisce and see my son have a great time. Some of the displays did have buttons that didn’t work luckily a kid’s imagination works around that.

My grands had a wonderful time. Worth the 1 hour drive to visit. At first, it seemed like sensory overload. But after they took it all in, they were able to slow down and find the things that interested them. I recommend bringing a picnic lunch as it was difficult to get my grandkids to leave as there is so much to see, do and explore. We will definitely be back.

I love how they have upgraded this space over the years. It's so charming and sweet to see the kids run around and explore the different attractions. The fire engine, police motorcycle, bus, and grocery store were among my children's favorite things. The membership is only $95 for a whole year for a family of 4, and $15 for an additional member. Worth it for homeschool families!!

Overall a great experience but very dated. I came here once on a field trip in kindergarten and only have memory of being pushed out of the way of everything by other kids--bringing my toddler healed my inner child but I genuinely don't think anything has been updated since I was here in like 1997. My three year old and I came today, a Sunday. I meant to get here at 10am when they opened because I thought it would be busy...but showing up by noon was totally fine. On a weekend day there were only maybe 3 other kids here, which is sad. Admission was only $20 for the two of us. There are tons of fun, interactive exhibits, but most of it doesn't work correctly or is worn out and broken. I think if they revamped the exhibits and updated everything it would be amazing.

Came here a month ago after my graduation. Brought my little one. It was cheap. I think we paid $7 each or close to that. It was fun. My little one loved playing grocery shopper and cashier. She loves being a veterinarian. Some of the things didn't work and some of the things looked a little worn down but my little one didn't care. I would recommend working on fixing the things that are not working or missing parts. Additionally, I would recommend keeping things looking good and not looking worn out.

I went here and it was amazing but dirty. Kids that come if they come to the back of the place near the park then they will see clothing or a astronaut suit and boy let me tell u that many kids probably run around in that sweating and other types of stuff but overall super good

The place was fun for my almost 2 year old! However I also went here as a child about 20 years ago & the placed has not changed. A lot of things didn't work as far as pressing buttons for sounds etc. it's a little run down. But I am glad my child had fun & it was something to do on a hot day !

My girls had a great time there. It's probably a good fit for kiddos from 2-7 or so. There were a ton of stations to go through, and something to interest every child. Our favorite was the "eyeball" station. You don't need more than about 3 hours to get through it all. I removed one star because nobody told us about the scavenger hunt. My kids had to watch every other child get a prize and when we stopped for our prize, the front desk girl (at closing) literally pulled the bucket away from my 6 year old. I felt that was rude and unnecessary. My daughter walked out teary eyed so I was a little psd.

My husband and I were looking for some places for my 4yr old daughter to spend time on the weekend, and we found this. Honestly, it was not a super wow but did not disappoint us either. This place was a perfect place for my daughter since she always wanted to see and get onto real fire fighter, ambulance & police officer vehicles. In my opinion, it fits for age 5 and under. After all, she said she loved the place and that's already worth the money spent.

Perfect for children ages 1-10. The 4-7 year olds had the most fun with everything though. As an adult who comes from my El Rancho de Ixpalino, Sinaloa I thought it was SUPER PADRE jajajaja the smile on the kids faces is what's best. Their favorite was the eye experience, the vet clinic, and the shopping center. Lindos los hermosos plebillos.

It's been nearly two years since our last visit to this museum. My child is 4.5 now, and he's still the right age for this fantastic museum! Now that almost all COVID precautions don't exist anymore, I can tell the museum has more things available for the kids to play with, and there were definitely A LOT of patrons! I love to see the kids all playing and exploring. My son's favorite exhibit, again, was the water table! This really is the highlight of the museum (in my opinion lol). He also loved the small playground with the twisty tunnel slide haha. Definitely another highlight of the museum is all of the vehicles inside that the kids can explore!! I think this place is perfect for kids aged 2.5-7, although I saw a much older kid here with his mom, maybe 11/12, who still looked like he was having a good time.

First time here, came on a Thursday when they first opened and I went with a 2 and 6 year old. It is $7/pp over the age of 1, easy check in and staff was nice. There is a lot to do from firetruck/front of a bus/police car/mini helicopter/motorcycle plus a slide, "grocery store", water table, trains, post office, lego slot track, magnetic area, etc. There is an area for under 4 year Olds only as well which was nice. There was a field trip of a bus full of kids there for the first bit we were there so we experienced a busier time but once they departed there was less than 20 people there which is nice. There is no food options here but could eat outside (the field trip kids did, we did not so not 100% sure what tables they have available) They had a hand washing station and hand sanitizer everywhere which was nice. The 2 year old had fun but was a little young for certain things available but the 6 year old could do everything and was really engaged. I would come back again, even with the 2 year old as there was enough to do to keep him entertained for hours. The location of the museum is near many homeless encampment but the parking lot felt safe and there is a gate around the cars.

easy to find location and there is a parking lot which is great. we spent a good hour and half here. lots of different areas to see. lot of hand sanitizers too but a couple of them didnt have a good scent. i was teary eyed reading about how this museum came about. stemmed from the elementary shooting in Stockton of '89. such a tragedy. only complaint was in some area toys were missing. (example: not enough parts to build in space area, missing magnet wands in the magnet area, the "food" items in the supermarket should be newer ones or more, and some of buttons or things didnt work. nevertheless, we still had fun.

A fun place for a child to use their imagination no time limit just an overall great experience

This is a cute place for the kids. My family enjoyed it. There's a lot to do and see. A lot of places to take pictures. It wasn't that crowded. Tickets are 7$.

We brought our two grandsons here and they loved it! i will say it was a little expensive but it was worth it. Everything is nice and clean, lots of things for the kids to explore.

My 2 year old loved it! The Children's Museum is a great place for little ones to explore. It's also like a little imagination city too with a kid-sized grocery store, post office, bank, news set, etc. Plus life-sized police car, old firetruck, helicopter, etc. It's definitely a great place to let your little ones run around and play. It has its own parking lot and street parking, if needed. Affordable entry. And they offer a membership! Def recommend

Notes: (1) Free parking on-site (2) Admission fee is only $6. We were in the area and needed to keep my kid entertained for a few hours so we stopped by. We were greeted at the door for admission and the staff was friendly. The place looked small compared to other ones that I've been to but the more we explored, the more things there was to do. There was something to do in every corner including a water section were you could put the boats down and build a maze for the boat to find the other way. My son's favorite was probably the firetruck and perhaps the other vehicles such as the bus/police car. You can probably spend a few hours here while letting your little one explore. There was also plenty of seating for parents to recharge.

My little one had tons of fun playing here! A great value and a true gem. It opened my eyes to the world of children's museums.

Great place to take small children (mine are 5 and 6) and they enjoyed every available exhibit. It seemed like the ocean (?) exhibit behind the check-in counter wasn't available as well as the transit bus was being cleaned but everything else was great. Staff was courteous. Plenty of hand sanitizer stations available. We got there right when it opened on a Saturday, exhibit to child ratio got larger as the time elapsed. Would recommend an early am visit. We hadn't been there since before covid, but we'll likely be back perhaps annually.

I found this place on Groupon and boy oh boy was it a great buy! So many different interactive activities for the kids! My kids love it and with all the different stations it never seems to get old. Great for the super hot or cold days to stay inside but still get the kids out.

This place is cool for the kids, pack some snacks if your kid is active because this place is just Great! My son had a tantrum when it was time to leave, meaning he did not want to leave!

I'm not sure what everyone is on about in some of these negative reviews but this place is so incredibly cool! It's also $7, which is more than worth it. We brought our 6.5yo and our 4.5yo here and they were so sad to leave. We spent about 2.5 hours doing ALL the things. Creative and imaginative play abound. What a treasure for this community. I truly wish we lived closer but we'll be back (from Sac) because this place is magical.

Great place to have your child run around and get tired out! Let's them discover so many different things. Also to the people giving this place a bad review about it being outdated , your child doesn't know what's new from old they just know how to be a kid and have fun with what's around them! As for the cleanliness aspects it is clean, the only thing people seem so concerned about saying that it's not is cause of all the toys everywhere which is expected with kids playing... :)

We had my daughters birthday here. The staff was amazing and the venue was perfect. They made slime and then headed over to the museum for play time. All the kids had a blast.

Took our 1 year old to check out the museum and she enjoyed herself. Even though she's a bit young but she still had a fun time. We like how there's a gated toddler area for her age group. A lot of hands on things for kids. Definitely will go back again.

There are some really cool parts to this place and also some sections that need a little fixing up and repairs and updates. I love taking my little to discovery centers when possible. Its new, something to do, usually fun and unique and this place was all that. I love that they have the real life service vehicles, it's cool to get in them and act like you are driving or flying or whatever. I love the recycling wall that shows exactly what happens and why its important to recycle. The news room was fun and the space section was cool. I love that they had animal sounds in one part and arts and crafts you could do and take with you, all of that was amazing. The peg wall that had the course you can run the marbles through, that was missing all kinds of stuff, it was neat how they used old mailroom items, but some of the stuff was broken or missing and that was a bummer. Also the magnet section, some tools to move the magnets were gone, the batteries on the wall domes were not working or dead, so sections like that were a bummer when you wanted to see how a battery worked or how magnets can move things and then you can't show the littles. So Overall, it was good and fun, but can use some love and probably money put into it.

A kid could have a lot of fun here. Parents will need to look sanitary issues. Workers do no accomidate to cleaning! We have found poop on changing tables multiple times. Tables and chairs were blackened with dirt. There are gaps between floor pads filled with hairs, dust, and debris. Paper towels and soap have been empty. Each of these problems brought to staff. They did not clean for 2 hours we were there. Some areas still dirty following week or month. Sometimes we would get response of," we have volunteers to clean that every week." Bothroom sanitation needs to be their job and done daily. Not weekly! Gets worst. They had bug spray come during business hours. They sprayed the walls in around where children play. I broufht this to their attention. They said they been doing it every month for last 10 years. So I should be ok with that? The person spraying said they dont spray where the kids go. But why they go in the toddler area?! That is where the kids go. I had to ask the giy to not spray next to my family when wer were eating! Even though the board members say we can go to them with issues. When we ask to give a message or talk to the board. The staff during the day say they have no communication with the board. No emails. Lie. Things there need to change.

We wanted some family fun on this cold day. It was $6 per person 1 years old and up. Super inexpensive and worth it. My kids had a blast. Also, super educational. Reminded me of those interactive field trips long ago. Definitely recommend!

weekend visit and parking lot gate opens about 10 minutes before 10am opening...entering at 10am by the tall nutcracker soldiers and paying $6 per person entrance fee...large space for children to roam and explore...ambulance, police cruiser, police bike, fire engine and helicopter...space for construction...a vet, market, post office, garbage facility and more...play area for toddlers...craft room with daily projects...water table to play...stem room and more...little aged, but decent for the $6 entrance fee...

My 2 year old grandson had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back. Entry fee very reasonable with so much to offer the children inside.

I remember coming here when I was little so I decided to bring my little one here, I was very disappointed. I'm giving 3 starts because my little actually had fun , but it would be less if she didn't. There are SO MANY missing toys on every station. No trains for the train tracks , puzzle pieces missing , groceries , etc. Also , there was so many things that didn't work like the fish you go into to hear the sounds of the animals , the steak machine in the grocery section , the outdoor slide was completely broken.... The museum has plenty of hand sanitizers and none of them were working when I went (3-23-24 around 1pm) it just seemed very unsanitary and def needs to close for a while for major upgrades.

We are just back from the museum and already planning about our next visit :) it's so much fun and entertaining for kids. We can easily spend half day. It's not a big area but still has all kinds of entertainment for toddlers and little kids. Grocery shop keeps kids busy for a longgggg time :) It's fun and must visit

Great little spot to explore !! If you live close by a great outing place with the little one. Price was great $7 admission . Would be great if the place has a paint update .

Clean, spacious indoor fun:) lots of activities for kids of all ages. Definitely worth a day trip with the kiddos! We will be considering a year long membership :)

I've been coming here since I was a child, I actually really loved it and spent most of my days there. Now as mother I decided to take my toddler. She did enjoy herself but almost everything was exactly how I remember it. The whole place needs to be updated, cleaned and remodeled. Some of the rooms were boring and the carpet kinda smelled old. There was also a lot of dark areas. I really hope the museum oweners take these recommendations into consideration. If you compare this museum to others around the area it's very obvious it needs a major renovation. More sunlight, newer play areas, and better sanitation. The carpet should be replaced. Maybe there is a petition we can start for renovation? The city needs to put more money into the museum becuase it does have a lot of potential. I should also add we visited on Saturday, it is now Monday and my toddler has croup. :/

The Children's Museum of Stockton exceeded all expectations and truly created a magical experience for both kids and adults alike. The interactive exhibits were not only educational but also incredibly engaging, sparking curiosity and creativity in young minds. The museum's commitment to providing a safe and welcoming environment was evident throughout. From the imaginative play areas to the hands-on science exhibits, every corner of the museum was a treasure trove of learning and fun. Our visit left us inspired, and we can't wait to return for more unforgettable adventures in exploration and discovery. If it wasn't time for museum closing announcements the children would have stayed longer than 3 hours. Highly recommend.

Cute! I brought my toddler son to play and explore. He loved it and there's lots to see and do. It's clean, nice staff, and affordable.

The Children's Museum is a little gem hidden in downtown Stockton. It's clean, it's cheap, and it has hours of entertainment for the little ones. My four year old always loves the community vehicles here such as the ambulance, fire truck, helicopter pit, and the bus. There's also a police car, and all vehicles are real, not just replicas. The best part of the museum is the security. I thought I lost my little one but there's just one door that's manned by a receptionist and as soon as I couldn't find my son, they set out an alert and all the employees searched all the books and crannies only to find him hiding in the back of the ambulance playing doctor. There are other doors, rest assured, but they have alarms attached to make sure kids aren't just running out of the building. I love this place. Definitely lend them support and buy a membership.

A great place for younger kids. They have a lot to do (slide, ambulance, fire truck, police vehicles, news room, grocery store, etc) so it entertains them for several hours. $6 per person entrance fee.

I remember talking my son here like 6 years ago and he loved it. Took my daughter here yesterday and she had a great time. Some of the exhibits are old and out dated and need to be replaced. They had a hand washing station and clean bathrooms with sanitizing pumps throughout the building. There is an arts and crafts room that the kids enjoyed. They give you a bag of ready to go crafts that can easily be put together.

I love the updates in the museum. I only wish all the buttons a levers were still intact and working where needed like the fire truck and police vehicle. There were also lots of missing pieces for the big magnet wall and in other areas. When things were missing my kids seem so move on much faster than they would if things were functional.

Aside from the creepy kids music and eerie warehouse open space vibe this place was actually fun. We especially loved the grocery store area. Educational spot, creative areas and lots of smiles.

Lovely place for kids of all ages! We took our 4 year old autistic daughter and she absolutely loved all the cars they had (actual fire truck, ambulance, police car, bus), the motorcycle, and the helicopter! There was a lot of activities and of course, science-themed exhibits with lots of interactive displays. We will definitely take her back soon. Great for a field trip, a rainy day, or just because!

I don't understand why this place has so many good reviews. You can see other reviews going back several years with the same comments as me. Tldr: dirty, broken. I haven't had much time to write reviews lately, but my experience here was so disappointing, I had to warn other Yelpers. It pains me to give bad reviews to children's museums, but this one was really bad. I'm a member of an ACM Reciprocal Museum, so I only wasted $6 for me and my child to spend an hour here. First, MANY things are broken. There were way too many displays and buttons that did nothing. Instead of fixing the broken slide on the outdoor playground, they just barred off the top (see photo). There were other things, like the helicopter that didn't seem appropriate for a children's museum. The sound in the helicopter was excessively loud, to the point where it hurt my ears. For kids who are sensitive to noise it would be terrifying. Same for the eye exhibit. My daughter started to walk into the exhibit and as soon as the sound and lights started she ran away terrified! The abundance of soft toys everywhere made me cringe. You know they're not being washed and sanitized regularly, and sure enough my daughter was sick the next day. I did very much like the play grocery store. It was organized and had a wide variety of items for "purchase" I understand the need for enriching and affordable places for parents to take their children. This museum has the potential to be so much better, but it was dirty, poorly maintained, and disappointing.

First time here at the stockton kids museum and they have a lot of activities to do and interact for all age children they have play grocery store play fire truck and play helicopter and play paramedics trucks pretty cheap 6 bucks per person for All day I was here for about 2 hours kept my 3 and 6 year old busy staff was nice and informative I will definitely come back

Lots to do, a playground outside, aimed at 1-10 year olds. The kids always have fun. A fire truck, ambulance, police car and more

I was a little hesitant after reading a negative review about this place, but I know that people are different and I may have a different experience. Well I am glad I went. I gave 5 stars because it is so inexpensive and there are tons of rooms and cool things for little ones to do. My 2 and a half year old son had so much fun. We got there little after 9am on a Friday and stayed until noon. It wasn't terribly busy which was nice. We would have stayed longer, but he needed to nap and we live about 35 minutes away. The only thing they were missing was a garbage truck. My son would have loved that lol. I did not notice a bad smell in the place or obnoxiously loud music either. Some people had mentioned that in their reviews. It is in a funky neighborhood, but doesn't really matter once inside. Parking is free and somewhat gated so that's nice. I look forward to going back!

Everything is old and outdated it's like they open it in the 1980s and still haven't got any updated. Most of the stuff is broken, run down, dirty, dusty, and the poor fish in their dirty fish tank. It honestly seem like they never clean or sanitize their stuff since the 80s. They just need to remodel the whole thing. Cost me 6$ each for four people it was not worth it honestly. Would not be coming back.

I came with my 10, 3 and 2 year old. They especially loved the fire truck. They spent most of our time playing on it! My older one was not so amused. I understand, I thought there might be a little more for her to be able to interact with her siblings. The museum is small and little dated. The staff I encountered were very friendly. My 3 year old had the most fun! I think he could've spent all day here. I think I was just expecting more from here. Nonetheless the price to get in was reasonable. The parking is free and there is plenty of it. There's no "lunch" spot here but I did see a couple of vending machines. I don't know that I'd be back unless I was desperate to find some thing for my kids to do.

Although there was a mix of positive and negative reviews, I took the chance and went anyway. I was really pleasantly surprised. The staff is friendly and given the age of a lot of the displays, they're well maintained and able to be enjoyed by the kids. I didn't find the place dirty, just dated and there's a difference between the two. We went through the entire place numerous times and only found a couple of things that didn't work. Given the price of admission ($7 now), I think it's a great deal and great way to let the kids play while using their imaginations and creativity.

This is our first time at this museum and my kids(ages 12 years old & 7 years old) really enjoy the visit. It is a small museum but educational and enjoyable one. Its worth the $6 entrance fee.